Poster frame assembly and a method for its use

ABSTRACT

A poster frame assembly includes a base frame having a front side, back side and sidewalls with a thickness, a plurality of cover members pivotally connected to the base frame at the top portion of the sidewall, and a pair of upright side rails interconnected by a bottom rail disposed on the back side of the base frame and shaped to define a channel configured to slidably receive a display sheet. A method of using the poster frame assembly of the present invention is also disclosed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to poster or picture frames for mounting on walls, and in particular to a front-loading picture frame assembly that has means for receiving and storing spare posters and/or screen on a back portion thereof.

BACKGROUND ART

Front loading poster or picture frames have been utilized by the merchandising industry for many years. One such instance is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,587,847 to Lasher, which shows a picture frame assembly having a base mountable on a wall or other surface having a recess for receiving a cover sub assembly containing a picture therein. Another example is a so-called “snap frame” display assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,370,448 to Burrous et al., which shows a snap frame assembly for engagably supporting a one or double sided planar display panel, comprising an elongated extruded carrier frame having an elongated hosing with a central opening therein. The front plate has an upper channel member, which rotatively pivots on an arm extending from the housing. However, these prior art poster frames do not provide means for storing old or extra posters, pictures or screens such as anti-reflective screens and clear screens. Ordinarily, the replaced posters are stored away in a drawer or an empty shoebox. The posters and pictures from past years, tend to accumulate and oftentimes become lost or damage due to lack of care in their handling and storage.

Therefore, there is a need for a convenient and safe way in which past years' pictures or spare posters and screens can be replaced by new pictures and/or screens but sill be easily protected from potential damage or loss during storage or shipment.

SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a front-loading poster frame assembly designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs. Unlike the prior art picture frames which typically contain only a single picture or poster, the picture frame assembly of the present invention employs means for receiving and storing spare pictures, posters and/or screens on a back portion thereof in a compact stacked arrangement while only one being displayed through a front pane of the frame. Thus, the poster frame assembly of the present invention permits convenient storage of spare posters and/or screens on the back portion of the frame and almost instantaneous retrieval of these posters and/or screens when one desires to replace the current poster and/or screen that is on display.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a poster frame assembly includes a base frame having a front side, back side and sidewalls with a thickness, a plurality of cover members pivotally connected to the base frame at the top portion of the sidewall, and a pair of upright side rails interconnected by a bottom rail disposed on the back side of the base frame and shaped to define a channel configured to slidably receive a display sheet.

In some instances, a poster frame can include a backboard sheet. The meeting ends of the rails can be mitered. In some embodiments, all the ends of the rails can be mitered. And yet in some instances, the meeting ends of the cover members can be mitered. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the cover members can be further coupled to the base frame by a plurality of flexible membranes. Each flexible membrane can have a distal end fixedly attached to the cover member and a proximate end slidably inserted into a recess in the base frame. The flexible membranes can be made of Aluminum.

In some instances, the bottom rail can further include or more dimples adapted to snugly receive the display sheet. One or both side rails can further include one or more dimples adapted to snugly receive the display sheet. The base and the rails can be integrally co-extruded by means of Aluminum extrusion process. The cover members can be also fabricated using the Aluminum extrusion process.

A method of using the poster frame assembly of the present invention is also disclosed. The method includes the steps of opening the cover members upwards, placing in a display sheet, optionally placing a transparent or anti-reflective or UV-protective sheet on top of the display sheet, closing the cover members downwards, sliding in one or more spare display sheets and/or one or more transparent or anti-reflective or UV-protective sheets into the channel defined by the rails on the backside of the poster frame assembly for storing.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, a poster frame assembly can include an anti-reflective sheet, a transparent sheet or UV-protected sheet. In some instances, the poster frame assembly can include one or more holes punched through the base frame and the rails for attaching the poster frame assembly to a wall. There can be one or more holes in the base frame for attaching the poster frame assembly to a wall. In some embodiments, the cover members can be J-shaped. And yet in other instances, the backboard can include an adhesive for fixedly attached the display sheet thereto.

Other aspects, embodiments and features of the device and method will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures. The accompanying figures are for schematic purposes and are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the figures, each identical or substantially similar component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a single numeral or notation. For purposes of clarity, not every component is labeled in every figure. Nor is every component of each embodiment of the device and method shown where illustration is not necessary to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the device and method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preceding summary, as well as the following detailed description of the disclosed system and method, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the attached drawings. It should be understood, however, that neither the device nor the method is limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a disclosed poster frame assembly in a cover-open configuration embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a disclosed poster frame assembly in a cover-closed, poster pinching configuration;

FIG. 3 is a partial front perspective view showing operation of the disclosed poster frame of FIG. 1 with a portion of the frame omitted for clarity;

FIG. 4 is a back perspective view showing operation of the disclosed poster frame;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of the disclosed poster frame taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a cross-section of the disclosed poster frame taken substantially along the line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a back perspective view of another embodiment of the poster frame having dimples;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section of the disclosed poster frame taken substantially along the line 8-8 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a cross-section of the disclosed poster frame taken substantially along the line 7-7 of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown poster frame assembly 10 which includes base frame 14, also shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 8, plurality of cover members 12 pivotally connected to the base frame 14 at the top portion of sidewall 44, as shown in FIG. 5. The poster frame assembly can include backboard 20 and/or display sheet 22, which can be a poster, photograph, work of art such as etching, lithograph or the like. The display sheet 22 can also be an antireflective sheet, or UV protective sheet, or transparent sheet. As shown in FIG. 4, the frame assembly 10 of the present invention also includes a pair of upright side rails 40 interconnected by bottom rail 41 disposed on the back side of the base frame 14 and shaped to define channel 42, as also shown in FIG. 5, configured to slidably receive display sheet 22. The cover members 12 can be substantially J-shaped, as can be seen in FIGS. 5-6. The backboard 20 can include an adhesive for fixedly attaching the display sheet 22 thereto. The backboard 20 can be made of plastic or metal or any other suitable material for forming a backboard/substrate. The J-shaped covers 12 are pivotally connected to the base frame 14 by means of the ball and socket joint configuration, wherein the proximate end 47 of cover 12 has socket 46 configured to receive substantially cylindrical portion 48 of the base frame 14, as shown in FIG. 5 to effectuate the pivotal connection, wherein the cover 12 can be pivotally rotated from the completely closed position, as illustrated in FIG. 2, to the open position, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3.

The meeting ends of rails 40 and 41 can be mitered at an angle, as shown in FIG. 4. The mitering angle can be 45 degrees. According to some embodiments, all the ends of the rails can be mitered, at an angle of 45 degrees, for example. In some embodiments, the meeting ends of the cover members 12 can be mitered at an angle, as shown in FIG. 2. The angle can be 45 degrees, for example.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the cover members 12 are coupled to the base frame 14 by a plurality of flexible membranes 16, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, as well as in FIG. 9. The flexible membranes 16 are tension spring clips adapted to keep the cover members 12 closed snugly in the cover-closed, poster-pinching configuration. Each flexible membrane 16 can have its distal end slidably attached to the cover member 12 by a groove in the distal end of the cover member 12 and a proximate end slidably attached to the base frame 14 by a groove in the base frame as shown in a cross-sectional view of FIG. 9. In some instances, the proximate end of the flexible membrane can be movably coupled to the base frame by being inserted into a recess or slit in the base frame such that it is configured to slide further into a recess or slit in the base frame as the cover member 12 pivots from the open configuration towards the cover-closed, poster-pinching configuration. The groove in the distal end of the cover member 12 can be substantially v-shaped as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 9. In some embodiments, it can have a substantially u-shaped profile, or a combination thereof. The groove in the base frame 14 can have substantially u-shaped profile, or substantially v-shaped profile or a combination thereof, as shown in FIG. 9. It will be understood by a person skilled in the art that the distal end of the flexible membrane 16 can be also fixedly attached to the cover 12 by virtue of such conventional attaching means as glue, adhesive, soldering or the like. Likewise, the proximate end of the flexible membrane 16 can be fixedly attached to the base frame 14 using glue, adhesive, soldering or any other suitable attaching means as can be appreciated by a person skilled in the art. The flexible membranes 16 can be made of Aluminum, for example, or they can be made of stainless steel or any other material suitable for making a membrane functioning as a tension spring clip. The flexible membranes 16 can be fabricated by means of Aluminum extrusion process.

In some instances, the bottom rail 41 can include one or more dimples 50, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. The dimples are adapted to snugly receive the display sheet 22 by pinching it in the channel 42. In some instances, the side rails 40 can have one or more dimples 50 adapted to snugly receive the display sheet 22.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the poster frame assembly can have the base frame and the rails integrally co-extruded using the Aluminum extrusion process. In some embodiments the poster frame can be assembled by using separate parts. The cover members can be also fabricated by means of Aluminum extrusion process.

The poster frame assembly can have one or more holes 18 punched through the base frame 14 and the rails 40 and/or rail 41 for attaching the poster frame assembly to a wall using attaching means such as a screw or nail, for example.

The poster frame assembly of the present invention can be used by opening the cover members 12 upwards as illustrated in FIG. 1, placing in a display sheet 22 as shown in FIG. 3, optionally placing a transparent or anti-reflective or UV-protective sheet on top of the display sheet, closing the cover members 12 downwards, as illustrated in FIG. 2, and then sliding in, for storing, one or more spare display sheets and/or one or more transparent or anti-reflective or UV-protective sheets into the channel 42 defined by the rails 40 and 41 disposed on the backside of the poster frame assembly, as illustrated by FIG. 4, therefore permitting convenient storage of spare display sheets and almost instantaneous retrieval of these sheets when one desires to replace the protective sheet and/or poster that is currently on display.

While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the invention, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the invention, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Although the invention is described herein with reference to specific embodiments, various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Any benefits, advantages, or solutions to problems that are described herein with regard to specific embodiments are not intended to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element of any or all the claims.

Unless stated otherwise, terms such as “first” and “second” are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements such terms describe. Thus, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other prioritization of such elements.

The foregoing detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary, or the following detailed description. 

1. A poster frame assembly for displaying and storing display sheets comprising: a base frame having a front side, back side and sidewalls having a thickness; a plurality of cover members pivotally connected to the base frame at a top portion of the sidewall for receiving and holding in place a display sheet; and a pair of upright side rails interconnected by a bottom rail directly disposed on the back side of the base frame and shaped to define a channel configured to slidably receive and store at least one additional display sheet.
 2. A poster frame assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a backboard sheet.
 3. A poster frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the meeting ends of the rails are mitered.
 4. A poster frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein all the ends of the rails are mitered.
 5. A poster frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the meeting ends of the cover members are mitered.
 6. A poster frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cover members are further coupled to the base frame by a plurality of flexible membranes adapted to keep the cover members closed snugly.
 7. A poster frame assembly according to claim 6, wherein each flexible membrane having a distal end coupled to the cover member and a proximate end slidably attached to the base frame by a recess therein.
 8. A poster frame assembly according to claim 6, wherein the flexible membranes are made of Aluminum.
 9. A poster frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the bottom rail further comprising one or more dimples adapted to snugly receive the display sheet.
 10. A poster frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein one or both side rails further comprising one or more dimples adapted to snugly receive the display sheet.
 11. A poster frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the base frame and the rails are integrally co-extruded by means of Aluminum extrusion process.
 12. A poster frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cover members are configured to exhibit the properties of Aluminum extruded material.
 13. (canceled)
 14. (canceled)
 15. (canceled)
 16. (canceled)
 17. A poster frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cover members are J-shaped.
 18. (canceled)
 19. (canceled)
 20. A method of using the poster frame assembly of claim 1 comprising the steps of: opening the cover members upwards; placing in a display sheet; optionally, placing a transparent or anti-reflective or UV-protective sheet on top of the display sheet; closing the cover members downwards; and sliding in, for storing said display sheet into the channel defined by the rails directly disposed on the backside of the poster frame assembly. 